Michael Holding

He's doing some corporate work, and I can see the big man, and I just get the feeling there's a head of steam attached to him.

I think Big Doss, he's coming off a Michael Holding, Merv Hughes type run up today.

Welcome to you, big man.

Yeah, thanks, JB.

The majority were great, but some came for a holiday.

Michael Holding was fantastic for Tasmania.

Ian Botham was fantastic for Queensland when he came.

Imran played one season for us.

I'm just thinking back, you know, for sort of tail end partnerships, amazing tail end partnership as well.

Viv Richards and Michael Holding, of course, put on 100 for the last wicket.

in a one-day international against england in 1984 at gold trafford viv got 189 and michael holding got about seven i think but they put on 100 and obviously put the game out at england's reach in the end being 160 odd for nine to a decent score of 270.

And, of course, they won the match.

So a fantastic effort by West Indies that day.

But you needed a top-class player at one end, in this case, Viv Richards, and Michael Holding holding a bat at the other.

And today, Shadab Khan, you know, perhaps hasn't got the stats to back up his ability with the bat, but he is a good player who's often batted in the sort of top seven for Pakistan.

And Harris Ralph just held an end up at the other end and did a great job.

Uh, just the elegant...

And these two cricketers who I would class as heroes, but people who you wanted to be or looked up to, David Gower was one, and then Mikey Holding, Michael Holding.

When, when you tried to run in like Michael Hold- no one could run in like Michael Holding.

Even though you tried at six foot four and, and being as mobile as a sort of wardrobe as I was-

[laughs]

I think, I, I think, I think you've, uh, you've covered this one.

Cricketing hero.

Uh, yeah, I, if I had to put, put a gun to my head, Michael Holding.

Yeah.

Have you got the reaction there? This is Michael Holding, and fair to say his quote in return, well post-series, this would be 40 years later in an interview, but we're going to play this out a little bit longer just for Michael Holding's voice.

Well, Tony Greig made a mistake of using the word when he was interviewed by a BBC commentator before the series started, and I can tell you that it certainly incentivised us to really go out there and play even better cricket than we would have played under normal circumstances.

And when Tony Greig himself got to the crease, the fast bowlers found a bit more energy and lifted the pace a bit more.

So although I think, or I could perhaps say I know, that the West Indies team then was a better team than the England team, and I think we would have beaten them in any way, But when he said that and used that term, I think it just gave us some bigger reason or more reason to really go out and fight.

You're right.

The more Michael Holding we hear on air, the better.

But yeah, imagine saying that before the world's fastest two bowlers, Andy Roberts and Michael Holding can steam in at you.

This is the 1984 team that came to Australia and dominated in test cricket.

In rough batting order, Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge, Richie Richardson, Larry Gomes, Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd, Jeffrey Dujon, Joel Garda, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Courtney Walsh.

12th man, Roger Harper.

It was always the 12th man who would come on the field because he was a great fielder.

Who knows? So you're looking at...

Like the greatest to ever do it, you know, a combination of Malcolm Marshall, Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Michael Holding, Colin Croft.

And I was looking at their numbers as I frequent that every Sunday evening before heading to work on Monday morning.

Malcolm Marshall averaged 20, Andy Roberts 25, Joel Garner 20, Michael Holding 23, Colin Croft 23.

And I think that's...

It's at least scarier, you know? And I think given the nature of, like, no one had ever seen that before, I think that probably is the best ever.